Woman Arrested After Boy Found Drunk, Naked, Wandering Street

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

SPRING HILL | A 10-year-old boy found wandering drunk and naked in the street has led to the arrest of a Spring Hill woman, deputies said.

Deputies said they received a call Thursday night about the boy from a neighbor, who said she had seen the boy walking in the road with no clothes on.

The neighbor said she and another woman brought the boy inside one of their homes and put some clothes on him, the report said.

That neighbor said that she then went across the street to the boy's home to see if Nedra Byrd, 31, was home, the report said. The neighbor said she knocked on the front door, which caused it to open slightly as it had not been closed all the way, and she saw Byrd sleeping on the couch, the report said. They said she was alone at the time.

Deputies said the neighbor then returned to her home and waited for law enforcement.

When deputies arrived, they also saw Byrd sleeping on the couch through the crack in her door. This time a man was sitting next to her, looking at his phone. The deputy asked the man if he know where the boy was, and the man said he should have been in his room. However, when the man went into the bedroom, he noticed the boy was not there, the report said.

The man then tried to wake up Byrd, deputies said. After a couple of minutes, Byrd woke up. Deputies said she appeared intoxicated, and that when she approached the door, they could smell alcohol on her breath. When the deputy asked if she knew why the boy would be walking around naked in the road, she laughed and said that the boy wasn't walking around naked, and that he was in his room, the report said.

The deputy then told Byrd that the boy was at a home across the street and that he was safe, the report said.

When the deputy asked Byrd if she had been drinking, she said, "Yeah, I'm drunk as hell," then sat back down on the couch and fell asleep, investigators said.

Deputies then spoke to the boy, who said he had been drinking Christian Brothers Brandy for most of the day, and that someone had given him four shots of brandy, the report said. The report did not indicate who had given the boy alcohol.

The boy told deputies that he went outside after hearing a noise and thinking it was one of his friends, but he couldn't remember what happened after he looked outside, the report said.

Deputies said the boy told them this was not the first time he had drank alcohol.

The boy was taken to Spring Hill Regional Hospital, where medical staff drew his blood and determined he had a .108 blood alcohol level, the report said.

When deputies asked Byrd about this, they said she told them that the boy would never touch her bottle of brandy and that he hadn't that night, investigators said.

They said she did not tell them anything else, as she was drunk. Deputies said they did see an open bottle of brandy on the kitchen counter, which appeared to be half-empty and had a shot glass next to it.

Byrd, 31, is facing charges of child neglect. She was taken to Hernando County Jail without incident.

<p>SPRING HILL | A 10-year-old boy found wandering drunk and naked in the street has led to the arrest of a Spring Hill woman, deputies said.</p><p>Deputies said they received a call Thursday night about the boy from a neighbor, who said she had seen the boy walking in the road with no clothes on.</p><p>The neighbor said she and another woman brought the boy inside one of their homes and put some clothes on him, the report said.</p><p>That neighbor said that she then went across the street to the boy's home to see if Nedra Byrd, 31, was home, the report said. The neighbor said she knocked on the front door, which caused it to open slightly as it had not been closed all the way, and she saw Byrd sleeping on the couch, the report said. They said she was alone at the time.</p><p>Deputies said the neighbor then returned to her home and waited for law enforcement.</p><p>When deputies arrived, they also saw Byrd sleeping on the couch through the crack in her door. This time a man was sitting next to her, looking at his phone. The deputy asked the man if he know where the boy was, and the man said he should have been in his room. However, when the man went into the bedroom, he noticed the boy was not there, the report said.</p><p>The man then tried to wake up Byrd, deputies said. After a couple of minutes, Byrd woke up. Deputies said she appeared intoxicated, and that when she approached the door, they could smell alcohol on her breath. When the deputy asked if she knew why the boy would be walking around naked in the road, she laughed and said that the boy wasn't walking around naked, and that he was in his room, the report said.</p><p>The deputy then told Byrd that the boy was at a home across the street and that he was safe, the report said.</p><p>When the deputy asked Byrd if she had been drinking, she said, "Yeah, I'm drunk as hell," then sat back down on the couch and fell asleep, investigators said.</p><p></p><p>Deputies then spoke to the boy, who said he had been drinking Christian Brothers Brandy for most of the day, and that someone had given him four shots of brandy, the report said. The report did not indicate who had given the boy alcohol. </p><p>The boy told deputies that he went outside after hearing a noise and thinking it was one of his friends, but he couldn't remember what happened after he looked outside, the report said.</p><p>Deputies said the boy told them this was not the first time he had drank alcohol.</p><p>The boy was taken to Spring Hill Regional Hospital, where medical staff drew his blood and determined he had a .108 blood alcohol level, the report said.</p><p>When deputies asked Byrd about this, they said she told them that the boy would never touch her bottle of brandy and that he hadn't that night, investigators said. </p><p>They said she did not tell them anything else, as she was drunk. Deputies said they did see an open bottle of brandy on the kitchen counter, which appeared to be half-empty and had a shot glass next to it.</p><p>Byrd, 31, is facing charges of child neglect. She was taken to Hernando County Jail without incident.</p>